VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - Alberta will spend
C$55 million ($54 million) this year to stem the spread of pine
beetles, which have ravaged forests in neighboring British
Columbia, the Alberta government said on Monday.

The money will help remove trees already attacked by the
tiny beetles or are considered at high risk, with the goal of
having the infested trees removed before July when insects take
flight.

The insects lay their eggs in ponderosa and lodgepole pines
and the larvae kill the trees by destroying their ability to
take in water and nutrients. The beetles also carry a fungus
that stains some of the wood blue.

The decade-old infestation was expected to begin to ebb in
British Columbia as the supply of older pines dwindles, but it
has long been feared the insects will be able to make it east
over the Rocky Mountains and into Alberta.

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According to Alberta officials, mountain pine beetles pose
a threat to about 15 percent of the western province's forest.
Once beetles infest a tree it cannot be saved, though younger
trees are able to use their sap to fight off infestation.

A report published last month warned the infestation was
now so large it might be contributing to climate change, with
the rotting trees releasing carbon dioxide at an equivalent
rate to major forest fires.